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Naim Go Deeper : Latin

We delve deep into the history, digging out rarities and gems from the Latin genre for our August playlist.

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In the 40’s-50’s, the Hispanic and Latino American music became increasingly popular in the US music market, with notable pioneers like Xavier Cugat and Tito Puente. From then on, subgenres such as bossa nova, a Brazilian fusion of samba and jazz to latin rock, more Caribbean and calypso-influenced music continued to grow in population across the popular music market.

We explored the lives of the top 3 artists from our bespoke Latin playlist.

Susana Baca
Susana Baca is a prominent Peruvian singer-songwriter, school teacher, folklorist, ethnomusicologist and two-times Latin Grammy Award winner. She has been a key figure in the revival of Afro-Peruvian music. In July 2011, she was named Peru's Minister of Culture in the Ollanta Humala government, becoming the second Afro-Peruvian cabinet minister in the history of independent Peru. In November 2011 she was elected to the Organization of American States (OAS) as the President of the Commission of Culture for the period 2011–13. She is known for her contribution much to the Afro-Peruvian international popularity, which began in 1995 with the release of the compilation CD Afro-Peruvian Classics: The Soul of Black Peru. The album, which features the Baca song "Maria Lando", was released by the Luaka Bop record label, which belongs to ex-Talking Heads frontman David Byrne.

Check out our top 3 tracks from the playlist and Go Deeper into the Latin genre with us.

Francisco Tarrega
Francisco Tárrega was born 21 November 1852 and died a over a century ago on 15 December 1909. He was a Spanish composer and classical guitarist of the Romantic period. He is known for such pieces as Recuerdos de la Alhambra. He is often called "the father of classical guitar" and is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Francisco Tárrega composed 78 original scores and 120 transcriptions – mostly for his own use.He is also the composer of Gran Vals, an excerpt of which was used in the iconic Nokia rington

Chucho Valdes
Chucho Valdes, born Jesús Valdés Rodríguez, is a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger whose career spans over 50 years. An original member of the Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna, in 1973 he founded the group Irakere, one of Cuba's best-known Latin jazz bands. Both his father, Bebo Valdés, and his son, Chuchito, are pianists as well. He has won six Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards.

Chucho eventually signed with Blue Note Records, which allowed him to get international exposure but has spent much of his time teaching younger generations, either in his homeland of Cuba at the Havana National school (with many famous musicians such as Herbie Hancock), or elsewhere.